Courts Young Lions full-back Farhan Rahmat is pleased with the contributions of strike duo Jordan Webb and Sherif El-Masri but knows that a team effort is needed to stop Albirex Niigata (S) on Thursday at Jalan Besar Stadium.
The Singapore U23 outfit scored a thrilling 3-2 away win over Harimau Muda on Monday night, to cap off a sensational fortnight that has seen them climb off the foot of the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League table, but were pegged back to the bottom when Hougang sealed a stunning 4-1 victory over Warriors FC a day later.
Come Thursday, Farhan and his teammates will have another chance to prove their worth against Albirex, who will be glad to be playing away from the Jurong East Stadium.
Tatsuyuki Okuyama's charges lost their two home games after the festive break before bouncing back with a 2-0 away win at the Bedok Stadium against Geylang International.
Regardless of their form coming into the game, Farhan is not too bothered about his opponents, preferring to focus on his own team.
"We will be going up against Albirex, who play a similar type of game to us." explained the 23-year-old. "They are one of the best teams in the league and sit in the top three now. Challenging for the title makes them dangerous to play against.
"But we (Young Lions) shouldn't be too worried about them. We have to worry about our own game and to keep our concentration levels as high as possible. If we play like we've been doing these past few games, we may have a chance."
As for his team finally moving off the foot of the table albeit for one day, the left-back is relieved and yet unsurprised by his team's strong showing.
He noted: "Those who played in the SEA Games are dying to prove themselves while the ones who didn't make the cut like me are even more desperate to show what we are made of.
"On top of that, all of us know that our contracts will finish at the end of this season and we are playing for our futures. No one will help us if we don't prove ourselves!"
While a lot has been said about Canadian duo Sherif El-Masri and Jordan Webb;s contributions since returning to the CYL squad -- the pair of combined three of Young Lions' seven goals in five matches -- Farhan reckons it is the team spirit and togetherness that has gotten them this far.
"Jordan and Sherif's return has been fantastic for us as a team," remarked the defender. "We all know what they are capable of and they have played a huge role in our good run of form.
"But it is even more important to note that this is a team effort where every single player and staff has played their part. We are enjoying our new style of football and this translates to the good movements on the pitch. What we need to do now is to keep our heads down and keep pushing even more. We have achieved nothing yet."
The battle at both ends of the S.League table will be affected by the result from this game. Three points for White Swans will help them continue to push Warriors in the title chase but victory for Raab's team will see them leapfrog Hougang in ninth, to continue their renaissance.
Courts Young Lions Probable Lineup: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Farhan Rahmat, Sheikh Abdul Hadi, Amirul Adli, Fadli Kamis, Afiq Noor, M. Anumanthan, Adam Swandi, Jordan Webb, Sherif El-Masri, Amy Recha
Albirex Niigata (S) Probable Lineup: Yosuke Nozawa (GK), Mikiya Yamada, Takahiro Saito, Kento Fujihara, Itsuki Yamada, Shun Inaba, Hikaru Mizuno, Fumiya Kogure, Atsushi Kawata, Rion Taki, Kento Nagasaki